SOCOM 4 Beta Coming This Month, Rolling Out in Four Stages

March 4, 2011 Written by Sebastian Moss

2011 is certainly the year of the beta, with GDC bringing news of both an inFamous 2 and Resistance 3 beta coming later year, on top of the previous Killzone 3 beta, secret Motorstorm beta and upcoming SOCOM 4 beta. However, with the inFamous and Resistance betas still a long way away, you may be worried that you will have to actually buy some games to play something new online this month – but don’t be concerned, a SOCOM 4 beta is coming soon.

Betas play a crucial role in the development of many modern online games, helping fix bugs and balance gameplay, while giving fans a chance to test the game out early. With SOCOM 4, developer Zipper Interactive have revealed that they will be rolling out the beta in four different stages in North America:

On March 15th, a private beta goes live. Zipper will be contacting eligible players soon.

Beginning March 22nd, PlayStation Plus members will gain access to the beta.

Starting April 5th, the beta will be freely downloadable to anyone via PlayStation Network.

In Europe, the beta will be distributed in two stages:

Beginning March 23rd, PlayStation Plus members will gain access to the beta.

Starting April 6th, the beta will be freely downloadable to anyone via PlayStation Network.

As well as announcing the beta dates, Zipper introduced a new competitive mode, Bomb Squad. Chris Roper, Zipper’s Community Specialist, detailed the new mode on the PS Blog:

In Bomb Squad, Insurgents have planted a number of bombs around the map and the Spec Ops team must defuse them all before time runs out. What makes Bomb Squad special is that it features the unique Bomb Technician character, played by one member of the Spec Ops team, who is charged with defusing the explosives. He carries both an automatic shotgun and a mobile grenade launcher and is very heavily armored, making him a deadly force on his own; that said, the technician is still an open target any time he turns his back to defuse Insurgent bombs. Succeeding in Bomb Squad requires tactics, teamwork, patience and confidence to get the job done, all pillars of the overall SOCOM experience.

As the PlayStation 3’s first Zipper developed SOCOM game, the Move compatible title is shaping up to be a fantastic addition to Sony’s extensive 2011 line-up, but will you be picking up the game when it releases this April? Let us know in the comments below.